Monthly Archives: August 2011

When I was a kid a friend of my parents was curator at Kenwood House, an elegant villa, an unmissable Adam gem, set in landscaped parkland, unbelievably a wide open country experience in the city. Once when I was very small, when I was … Continue reading →

A bowlful of perfect, beautiful little fruits. Clusters of fruits in neat bouquets, how can I resist picking them up when invited? I love these generous hearted invitations you see at the roadside in autumn. Perfect fruits as good as … Continue reading →

When you start looking you start to notice there are private shrines, often in obscure places. This one was under supermarket shelves. If making a space for deep contemplation helps you through the day, why not? Make your own shrine, … Continue reading →

The best summer tradition has to be Giffords Circus, every year they take to the road in traditional painted wagons, touring village greens with their glamourous spell binding show. Thrilling, gentle, gutsy, family entertainment, a breath of fresh air, a … Continue reading →

Oooh, we must go to the Naked Gardens, my sisters says. I look at her baffled, suddenly in that sentence I’ve found out a whole lot of new stuff about her, and I haven’t packed my cosi ‘just incase’. Further probing … Continue reading →

Have you noticed all the blackberries in the hedges just now, I thought that’s too good to miss, so I dug out this great little recipe for making delicious fruity fool ice cream. The best thing, along with using foraged … Continue reading →

I’m sipping green tea brought to me by friends all the way from China. The flavour is like nothing else I have ever experienced. It’s a surprise, a wake up to my taste buds that are used to being sloshed … Continue reading →

You know how it goes, day tightly organised around a string of appointments, then with zero notice one gets postponed and suddenly from full steam ahead you end up kicking your heels. So that’s what happened to me in Ealing, … Continue reading →

Syllabub is such an English tradition, started way back, long before refrigeration days, when social one upmanship was derigeur, serving it was a subtle way of making people aware of your estate ice house. I used to make syllabub with a … Continue reading →

Now at North House Gallery is an exhibition of Gertrude Hermes OBE, RA, RE engravings and sculpture. It focuses primarily on her sculpture, which she and others regarded as the more important part of her oeuvre. Closely related are her engravings, there … Continue reading →